Timber! Longshore's ailing giants chopped down despite storm

Published 1:12 pm, Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Crews at work Tuesday morning cutting down trees along the entrance to Longshore Club Park. The old trees hasd become damaged and diseased over the years, and became a safety risk, according to the tree warden.

Crews at work Tuesday morning cutting down trees along the entrance to Longshore Club Park. The old trees hasd become damaged and diseased over the years, and became a safety risk, according to the tree warden.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Cranes and bucket trucks were deployed to help cut down the towering trees along the Longshore Club Park entrance on Tuesday.

Cranes and bucket trucks were deployed to help cut down the towering trees along the Longshore Club Park entrance on Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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A worker from Knapp Tree takes a chainsaw to one of the larger branches chopped down at Longshore Club Park on Tuesday.

A worker from Knapp Tree takes a chainsaw to one of the larger branches chopped down at Longshore Club Park on Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Limbs were chopped off the large Longshore trees, before the trunks were taken down Tuesday.

Limbs were chopped off the large Longshore trees, before the trunks were taken down Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Former First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and Tree Board Chairwoman Pamela Klomberg were at Longshore on Tuesday morning to watch removal of 15 trees along the park entrance.

Former First Selectman Gordon Joseloff and Tree Board Chairwoman Pamela Klomberg were at Longshore on Tuesday morning to watch removal of 15 trees along the park entrance.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Raised high by a bucket truck despite the windy snow, a Knapp Tree worker attaches a cable to the top of a tree Tuesday.

Raised high by a bucket truck despite the windy snow, a Knapp Tree worker attaches a cable to the top of a tree Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Tree crews used a giant claw to lift the large trunks of the trees cut down Tuesday at Longshore Club Park.

Tree crews used a giant claw to lift the large trunks of the trees cut down Tuesday at Longshore Club Park.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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Cranes and bucket trucks were used by workers to chop down the towering trees lining Longshore Club Park's entrance Tuesday.

Cranes and bucket trucks were used by workers to chop down the towering trees lining Longshore Club Park's entrance Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

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A last look: Trees, posted with tree warden notices, as they towered over the entrance to Longshore Club Park just before they were cut down Tuesday.

A last look: Trees, posted with tree warden notices, as they towered over the entrance to Longshore Club Park just before they were cut down Tuesday.

Photo: Jarret Liotta

Timber! Longshore's ailing giants chopped down despite storm

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Tuesday's winter storm delayed and shut down many things around town as the snow began to pile up, but it failed to halt operations to cut down 15 large, but deteriorating, trees lining the entrance to Longshore Club Park.

Despite the snow and frigid temperatures, hardy crews of tree workers moved forward with the job of cutting the 11 tulip and four Norway maples that were the last remaining trees from a stand of about 100 trees planted on the property more than a century ago.

The plan to cut down the trees was recommended in December by town Tree Warden Bruce Lindsay because of the disease and damage they suffered over the decades, causing the weakened trees to pose a safety risk to the public and a liability risk to the town.

But when the tree-removal plan was announced it prompted a public outcry, and First Selectmen Jim Marpe ordered a delay to gather more information and to host a public inspection of the trees.

After that Jan. 11 meeting at Longshore, officials affirmed the decision to cut down the trees.

In a statement making the official decision on the tree removal, Marpe said: "This recommendation was an extremely difficult one to make given the age and size of the trees, as well as their iconic presence at Longshore."

But the first selectman said he found compelling Lindsay's finding about the "safety issue" posed by the trees' deteriorating condition, and added: "Most of the larger trees along the entrance drive have already come down over the years and, as stated during the information session, the removal of the additional trees reflects the final stage of a landscape plan which has been in place for over 20 years."